Kevin Durant scored 31 points against Dallas on Saturday, joining the 29,000-point club. He was then asked about the milestone and thought about it for a moment.
“So many people's words helped me,” the Phoenix Suns forward said in an on-court interview. “I had a lot of people who came to the gym with me. They encouraged me. They texted me after a bad game. They took time out of their lives to come and watch me play. They invested in my career. It's all about them.”
But then he ended the thought with a familiar sentiment. He made a similar reference when he surpassed 25,000 points. After a monologue about the glory of great deeds, he reminded of further deeds to come. Because while Durant has a deep respect for the history of the game, he refuses to be seen as a star player who got a pat on the back in his later years. He doesn't like the tone of the question, which makes him look back at the end of his career. The end is not near. There he interrupted his thanksgiving with a pledge.
“We have more work to do.”
And in the home game against the Los Angeles Lakers, he dropped 30 points.
If Durant, who turned 36 in September, has a decent year by his standards, he could score more than 1,500 points this season. In the process, he would pass Moses Malone and Julius Erving and move into eighth place on the ABA-inclusive career scoring list. He surpassed Shaquille O'Neal to reach the top 10 last year. If KD surpasses 2,000 points this season, he will be chasing No. 7 Wilt Chamberlain.
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Who do Moses and Dr. J think has the most points at age 36 among the legends he could pass this season, including Shaq and Wilt? O'Neal had 1,333, ahead of Malone's 1,279. Irving and Chamberlain barely surpassed 1,000 points in their final seasons at age 36.
On the other hand, the idea that Durant could average 25 points per game is colder than a polar bear's toenail.
That's why Durant mentions legendary milestones here as if he were playing third base. It looks like he just earned a Gold rank in Call of Duty. He knows he's still one of the best and will have even more questions about more milestones and more legends to pass. So the 11th oldest player in the NBA, who has averaged 40 minutes per game so far, would look like he's a point guard with more than 29,000 points.
Yes, the era of old heads is different now.
Do not twist it. There's a changing of the guard going on in the NBA. Nikola Jokic has already sparked that transition. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Luka Doncic. Anthony Edwards. Victor Wenbanyama. The league will be theirs. Their names are on the marquee. Their presence attracts the masses. Their heritage is the subject of online battles.
Honestly, it should have already happened. If it wasn't for the Uncle Brigade. lebron james. steph curry. Kevin Durant. James Harden. Damian Lillard. Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler when healthy. The NBA has never seen so many OGs still cooking. Grilling in socks and sandals.
It is a testament to advances in kinematics, technology and hoopology. But most of all, this shows how much they love the game. Their dedication to their craft and competitive spirit. They are such maniacs. A real hooper.
Some of them maintain perfect shape and can run with this new breed of stars. Some of them scoff at modern workout culture with their old-school guts, needing just a few months to get in shape with a foam roller.
Almost all of them have grown with elite skill, the experience they've had growing up in the league and watching and playing against Kobe Bryant, and the heart that brought them here. They all share the toughness that characterizes their generation. they played outside. They drank water from a hose and ate at the mall's food court. They grew up playing hoop on outdoor concrete courts in the summer heat. Their ligaments and muscles are strengthened by nightclub gymnastics, THC, and compressed fabrics.
The next generation will have to wrest the superstar's scepter from the grip of Social Security.
LeBron turned 30 during the 2014-15 season. Prior to that season, the NBA had had a player average 25 points or more 334 times in 68 seasons. 18 of those were achieved by players over 33 years of age.
In other words, 5.4% of the highest scorers were in the prime of their lives.
However, since the season LeBron turned 30, players have averaged 25 points or more per game 128 times in 10 seasons, 13 of which have come by players 33 or older. Up to 10.2%. That's almost double the rate.
Last year, eight players in their 30s averaged 23 or more shots. This is the second consecutive season this has happened, breaking the previous record of seven in the 2020-21 season. Until then, the maximum number was six.
1995-1996: Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Karl Malone, David Robinson, Charles Barkley, Mitch Richmond. The oldest was The-Dream at 33 years old.
1985-86: Adrian Dantley, Alex English, Moses Malone, Mike Mitchell, World B Free, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the oldest at 38 years old.
This season, there could be around 10 to 12 players in this age group, averaging more than 20 players. In addition to the aforementioned, they also have Paul George, DeMar DeRozan, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Nikola Vucevic, and CJ McCollum.
This league is filled with more successful 30-somethings than an expensive Saturday brunch downtown.
Yes, part of their success is due to the era. His obsession with 3-point shooting and the space it creates makes it at least slightly easier to average 20 points. But anyone who watches Uncle Brigade go to work and believes that their greatness contributed to this era is missing it.
Yes, they are paid ridiculous numbers. It's easy to stick around when the standard mid-level exception is $12 million, which is more than Barkley has ever made in an NBA season. However, these veterans who have circled the field have not reached the mid-major level. They are capable enough to receive high salaries. And those who think it's just a matter of money for themselves are missing out on that.
Look at their play. This is a different kind of hardcore, a kind that isn't as romanticized as 1980s clotheslines. They're the kind that came under fire because they didn't have it, because of load management allegations and fraternization.
But you know what's hard. they are still here. I'll still kill you. It's still fascinating. The Unexpendables.
Many of them don't have a real chance at a championship. They're just in it for the bags and the glory. erode their advantage. Compete because you can.
Don't miss what's happening. Don't take for granted how the best players we've ever seen have managed to squeeze two lives into their careers. The game has changed. The world has changed. But their greatness, showmanship and presence survived it all. They were consistently great and reliably entertaining.
If you don't leave first, you will eventually be ejected from the main stage. The rightful heirs will take over.
And we can only hope that the new generation will give as much of themselves as the aging stars. The future faces of the NBA learn valuable lessons as they wrench the scepter. It takes greatness to get to the top, but it takes something different to stay there. They still have work to do.
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(Illustration: Meech Robinson/The Athletic, Photos: Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images, Stacy Revere, Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
